Review: Davidoff Winston Churchill Robusto

At the beginning of the year, Davidoff announced that they would be relaunching the Winston Churchill brand. Besides giving the packaging a whole new and improved look, they would be creating a whole new cigar as well. The new release was to be more in line with the direction that the company has been going- less emphasis on Dominican tobacco and more diverse blends, and the cigar was a blend that was composed of Dominican, Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan, and Mexican tobacco. It was a bold move for the company, but after the success of the Davidoff Nicaragua it was a smart decision. Davidoff as a whole is synonymous with the Dominican Republic, so instead of reinventing the wheel on a "dying" brand that pays tribute to one of the most famous cigar smokers of all time, they recreated it from the bottom up. The new Davidoff Winston Churchill has been on the market for less than six months now, and today we look at the resurrected brand.

Well constructed, the Winston Churchill Robusto comes with a simple but elegant band that has the silhouette of the famous Winston Churchill in his bowler hat with a nice classic Davidoff 'white label" appearance." The cap is applied perfectly to the cigar and it has a wrapper that has a light Natural coloring. It has a very antique brown coloring, and it is silky in texture. The cigar sports few veins and is firm throughout. There is an aroma of tobacco and oak on the wrapper, and on the foot I am picking up some tobacco, spice, and nutty qualities.

The cigar opens up with some elegant flavors, and I am picking up some soft sweet almond notes with a creamy flavor on top of that. There are some subtle pepper flavors present as well, and it has a finish that is giving off black coffee and oak notes. There is a smooth draw with the cigar and with that is a consistent amount of nice light smoke. In terms of construction the cigar is burning wonderfully and it is producing an even burn line with a solid charcoal ash on the end. I would classify the cigar as being mild to medium in body and strength, and it has a solid medium flavor profile.

I am in the second third of the cigar now and the flavor profile has taken a turn, showing a stronger almond flavor profile. I am picking up a grassy quality in this third as well, and it is paired with that creamy and oak flavor profile from before. The coffee notes have faded, but it has a nice finish of light pepper notes. It is a smooth cigar still in this third, and it has that even burn line with a firm charcoal ash on the end. The draw is still perfect, and there is a nice amount of smoke being produced. I would classify the cigar as still being between mild and medium overall, and it is very balanced.

The final third shows a nice change in flavors and intensity, and while it is "stronger," it is still very smooth. The almond notes have taken on a generic nutty quality, and it is showing some additional nut flavors, walnut and peanuts. The oak notes are more pronounced in this third as well, and it has a grassy flavor with that. The finish is creamy still, and it has a smooth draw with a nice amount of smoke. The construction remains perfect in the final third, as it has been throughout, and it shows an even burn line with a light charcoal ash. It is finishing a solid medium level for flavors, body, and strength, and the increase in all levels is a nice finishing touch.

The resurrection of the Winston Churchill brand was a great move in my opinion and the direction in which they have taken this "forgotten" brand is a correct one. They have managed to keep it Davidoff, but at the same time not have it compete with some of the older Davidoff offerings. It has a new vibe to it, better pricing as well, and it is more appealing to the modern smoker. Everything about this release is an improvement, and they can definitely build off of this brand down the road which is something they could not do with the original release. In a period where the market is completely saturated and brands are competing amongst themselves for shelf space, re-branding and re-blending past lines that have gotten out of the spotlight is the right decision. They have a vitola for practically every smoker in the brand, and with two more vitolas coming this summer they will reach a larger audience. The Davidoff Winston Churchill Robusto gets a 91 rating, and with the cigar coming in four count packs I would definitely have a pack lying around the humidor.